A collection of newsworthy information as reported from newspapers, magazines, and blogs.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Mr. Extremist! Tear down this wall

This is what hate and bigotry does: Tea Party Tries to Segregate North Carolina Schools

America's Wall of shame is dominated by hate, violence, racism and bigotry, which culminated in the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords in Arizona. This wall of hate holds America's destiny. If we cannot grow beyond the poisonous vitriol that spews from its confines, we will be unable to work together on our economic recovery to create meaningful jobs to stimulate and grow our nation to meet the needs of a new competitive America. Focus on this wall and see the negative energy consuming our nation's vital resources. Try to work around these obstacles by accepting other people for who they are regardless of their differences. Only by embracing diversity will America have any chance to regain its leadership role in the world and provide the opportunity for a good life to its citizens. By Terri Knauss

In the wake of the Tucson shooting, Glen Beck, the TV and radio personality has had to defend his record against accusations that he has whipped up hatred within the public discourse. For a media figure who has been variously lambasted as a liar, buffoon, clown, bigot and racist Beck is no stranger to the vitriol that currently passes in America as public debate. In fact, he’s built a multimillion dollar empire out of it.

The JFSJ accompanied the petition with a list of 10 of Beck’s most egregious comments in 2010 (see below). They include Beck’s radio comment on the financier and philanthropist, George Soros, that “here’s a Jewish boy helping send the Jews to the death camps”. The remark was made in reference to Soros as a 13-year-old teenager in Hungary, who survived the Holocaust because his father hid their Jewish identity through elaborate forged documents. The comment was made as part of a three-part Beck “exposé” of Soros on Fox News last November called the “Puppet Master”. Beck’s portrayal of Soros was so mendacious and malicious that he was accused by the New Yorker of broadcasting tropes that corresponded “uncannily to those of classical antisemitism”. The Daily Beast noted that “nothing like it has ever been on American television before”.

Glenn Beck soundbites:

• Beck likens himself to Israeli Nazi hunters: “To the day I die, I am going to be a progressive hunter.” 20 January 2010

• Social justice is a “perversion of the Gospel, not what Jesus was saying”. 11 March 2010

• “Charles Darwin is the father of the Holocaust.” 20 August 2010

• “We have been sold a lie … that the poor in America are suffering.” November 20 2010

• Beck mocks President Obama’s daughter Malia and questions her “level of education”. He later apologises. 28 May 2010

• Uncle Sam is a “child molester” who is “raping our wallets … and destroying our families”. 16 April 2010

• Beck said the prime goal of his coverage of the midterm elections was to “make George Soros cry” which was hard to do as Soros “saw people into gas chambers”. 2 November 2010

• “Women are psychos”. 20 January 2010

• Putting the “common good” first is the kind of thing that “leads to death camps”. 28 May 2010